Tobacco denicotinization



Patented Mar. 23, 1926.

PATENT OFFICE.

HOMER W. SMITH, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

ronacoo nnmcormrzarron.

1T0 Drawing.

To allwizom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOMER W. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana. have invented a new anduseful Tobacco Denicotinization, of which the following is aspecification.

It has long been recognized that the injurious elfectsso frequently produced by the use of tobacco are caused by the presence of nicotine, which is a volatile poisonous alkaloid. Many attempts have been made to remove the nicotine from the tobacco; and while these'attempts have to some extent succeeded in removing part of the nicotine, they have not removed as large a part as is j desirable, and they have rendered the tobacco unfit for smoking purposes and at least unpleasant for use as chewing tobacco. This was because theyhave involved destructive measures, such as subjecting the tobacco to high temperatures, injurious chemical agents, or water, whereby the tobacco has been so affected that it disintegrated, or turned dark, or both, and in consequence was rendered unsuitable for use, especially for smoking.

It is the object of my present invention to remove the nicotine more vnearly'completely than has heretofore been done; and to do-so'without injuring the tobacco, in the Ways noted above or otherwise.

My invention involves both a new process and a new product, as will be set forth in the claims.

My process is based upon the discovery and accurate determination of certain steps in the chemical equilibria whereby the nicotine is liberated and removed from its combination with organic acids in the tobacco. There are four steps in the complete process of removing the nicotine, though less satisfactory but still novel results can be obtained by the use of less than all of these steps; and there is a fifth step which I prefer to use when treating successive batches, involving removing from the organic solvent used in treating one batch the nicotine which such solvent has dissolved, while retaining in such organic solvent the other extracts which it has removed from the tobacco so that it will not remove such extracts from the tobacco of subsequentbatches.

The various steps of the complete process are as follows:

1. The tobacco, which may be either green Application filed June 7,

1922. Serial No. 566,560.

tobacco or cured tobacco, is treated with live steam, preferably at high temperatures and hig pressures. The temperatures should be above 100 0., up to 150 (3.; and the pressure should be above atmospheric pressure, up to pounds above atmosphere. This treatment modifies the cellular membranes, or perhaps ruptures them, so that the subsequent extraction of the nicotine is greatly facilitated. In addition, the treatment with live steam at high temperatures and pressures increases the moisture content of the tobacco, but does so without disintegrating, discoloring or otherwise injuring the tobacco only under such conditions; and this increased moisture content in turn permits the hydrolysis of the nicotine salts contained in the tobacco, and the removal of the free nicotine by the subsequent treatment.

2. The tobacco, preferably after having been treated by step 1 so that it has the proper moisture content and the modified cellular membrane, is exposed to the vapors of a .volatile base, such as ammonia or a substituted ammonia, like methyl amine, etc. This volatile base penetrates into the cells of the tobacco leaf,.and thereby displaces to a large extent the nicotine from its chemical combination with organic acids. This further increases the facility with which the nicotine may be extracted in ,the remaining steps of the process.

Steps 1 and 2 can be performed successlvely or simultaneously. 7

3. After the tobacco has been subjected to steps 1 and 2, or to either ofsuch steps, (for partial results can be obtained if either step 1 or step 2 is omitted,) it is extracted with a suitable organic solvent, such as benzol, gasoline, carbon tetrachloride, etc. The tobacco is permitted to remain for some time in the solvent, to permit a redistribution of the nicotine and of the other bases contained in the tobacco cells. This redistribution takes place according to certain chemical laws, which I have discovered and published, relating to the distribution of soluble in water; and this permits the nicotineto be concentrated almost entirely in the organic solvent, which remains outside of the cells, while the water which is contained in the cells retains mainly the volatilebase which has. replaced the nicotine. After the tobacco has remained in the or ganic solvent for a suilicient time to permit this redistribution, it is removed from the tobacco by draining, centrifuging, or in any other suitable manner, taking with it from the tobacco the greater part of the nicotine.

4. The tobacco after having been treated by step 3 is subjected again to the action of live steam at high pressure. and high temperature. This temperature and pressure should-be substantially as in ste 1. This drives oil from the tobacco the su stituted. volatile base, such as the ammonia or the methyl amine, because of the volatile nature of such substituted base; and also drives ofi any remaining traces of the organic solvent used. This leaves the tobacco in suitable condition for subsequent manu-.

' organic solvent repeatedly for difl'erent batches of tobacco; and remove the nicotine from such solvent after the treatment of each batch, but leavedissolved in the solvent the various oils, coloring matter, and aromatic substances which are obtained from the first batch of tobacco. To this end, the organic solvent removed from the tobacco at the end of step 3 is treated with an aqueous solution of a suitable acid, such as sulphuric acid; which removes the nicotine and other poisonous bases from the organic solvent, without removlng the oils, coloring matter,'or aromatic substances which may be dissolved therem. The organic solvent containing the oils, coloring matter, and aromatic substances separates by gravity from the aqueous solution of the acid containing the nicotine, and may be removed.

in any suitable manner. When the same solvent is now re-used it already contains the oils, coloring matter, and aromatic substances of the tobacco, and so after the treatment of the first batch or batches it does not remove such things from the. sub- To avoid this, I use the sameravages sequent batches; but this does not interfere with the removal from such subsequent batches of tobacco of the nicotine contained therein. Thus, the tobacco remaining in all but the first batches after the treatment by my process contains substantially its original amount of oils, coloring matter, and aromatic substances, because of the non-removal of such thingsby the organic solvent due to the presence of those things in the organic solvent when it is applied. This preserves the appearance, taste, and aroma of the I tobacco substantially unimpaired, although the greater part of the nicotine has been removed.

all except the last traces of the nicotine naturally occurring in it with maximum facility and with minimum alteration in the coloring, aroma, flavor, and burning qualities of the tobacco. l find that it is easily possible to reduce the nicotine and other poisonous bases from their natural content to less than 0.4 per cent; and even to less than 0.2 per cent if the (proportionate tine, but only for the preservation of the original flavor, aroma, and color of the tobacco.

ll claim as my invention:

1. The process of de-nicotinizing tobacco, comprising treating the tobacco with live steam at a temperature higher than C. and a pressure 1 eater than atmospheric, and exposing the tacco to the vapor of a volatile base,and then extracting the tobacco -with an organic solvent and subsequently removing such solvent.

2. The process of de-nicotinizing tobacco, comprising treating the tobacco with live steam at a temperature higherthan 100 C. and a pressure greater than atmospheric, and then extracting the tobacco with an organic vent.

3. The process of de-nicotinizing' tobacco, comprising exposing the tobacco to the vapor of a volatile base, and then extracting the tobacco with an organic solvent and subsequentlv removing such solvent.

4. The process of de-nicotinizing tobacco as set forth in claim 2, in which the tobacco Bill solvent and subsequently removing such sol- 80' By my-process, the tobaccois freed from such solvent, and then subjecting the tobacco tothe action of live steam.

6. The process of de-nicotinizing tobacco as set forth in claim 2 wherein the organic solvent used has dissolved in it when it is applied to a batch of tobacco the oils, coloring matter, and aromatic substances which mi ht be dissolved from the tobacco so that it without material effect on'such things in the tobacco.

7. The process of de-nicotinizing tobacco as set forth in claim 2, which consists in treating the tobacco in batches, and using the same organic solvent for successive batches, and treating such organic solvent between batches with an aqueous solution of an acid to remove from the solvent the nicotine dissolved therein while leaving dissolved in the solvent the oils, coloring matter,

and aromatic substances which the solvent contains. I v

8. The process of de-nicotinizing tobacco, which consists in subjecting it to live steam at high temperature and pressure, then exposing it to ammonia vapor, and then extracting it with benz'ol and subsequently removing ,the benzol.

9. The process set forth in claim 8, which consists in addition in subjecting the tobacco to live steam at high temperature and pressure a second time after the removal of the benzol.

In witnesswhereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 2nd day of June, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and twenty-two.

HOMER W. SMITH. 

